The olive tree has been cultivated for olive oil, fine wood, olive leaf, and the olive fruit. The earliest evidence for the domestication of olives comes from the Chalcolithic Period archaeological site of Teleilat Ghassul in what is today modern Jordan.
I want to know if I can grow this plant in Tropical regions like Australian region!!!

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 15:06

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Yes.

Posted: 23 Jul 2011 18:57

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Posts: 718Reputation: 38 User Rank: 10 - Blossom

Sorry about the short answer (people who know me will think someone else posted that because it's only one word)...now that I have a few minutes, here's some additional info on olive trees.

Our garden center in New Jersey carries Arbequina Olives in 5-gallon containers at this time of year. Many of our wholesale customers in NYC get requests from their Greek, Italian and Middle Eastern customers for these plants, and even though they are not hardy here in Zone 6, people are successful overwintering them in garages and such and keep them going from year to year in large containers. Whether they will ever live to see the trees flower and produce fruit is another matter.

Coming from a Mediterranean climate, the Arbequina Olive prefers low humidity, which makes it a bit difficult to grow in our summers, when RH can be as high as 70-80% on a regular basis. They are reputedly plant-hardy into the low 20's Fahrenheit, but fruit will be damaged if it gets much below 30. Being a relatively compact grower when pruned, it's a good subject for small gardens or containers if pruned judiciously.

Some cultivars are reported to be mostly self-fertile, while others need a specific pollinating variety to produce fruits. A pretty little tree/bush with silvery leaves that almost glimmer in the breeze in bright sunlight. If you can't live in Tuscany, this might be the next best alternative.